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Tag Archives: dutch

Quack – As slang for poor medical practitioners or those claiming to be medical practitioners who are not. The term comes from an old Dutch word ‘quacksalver’ meaning ‘someone who boasts by virtue of his salves’ (salves being ointments for the skin). The ‘Quack’ part is a reference to the same quack we use today…

With the news that the US president has created a ‘Refugee ban’ it has become obvious that different people use the word to mean slightly different groups. So we thought we’d have a look at exactly what the word really means. First off, the obvious, refugee has its roots in the word ‘refuge’ meaning ‘shelter…

Bell: A hollow metal object, typically in the shape of a deep inverted cup widening at the lip, that sounds a clear musical note when struck ‘Bell’ was originally ‘belle’ in old English and joined our language from Dutch where ‘belle’ meant the same as ‘bell’ today. The word can be traced back to…

Quack – As slang for poor medical practitioners or those claiming to be medical practitioners who are not. The term comes from an old Dutch word ‘quacksalver’ meaning ‘someone who boasts by virtue of his salves’ (salves being ointments for the skin). The ‘Quack’ part is a reference to the same quack we use today…

With the news that the US president has created a ‘Refugee ban’ it has become obvious that different people use the word to mean slightly different groups. So we thought we’d have a look at exactly what the word really means. First off, the obvious, refugee has its roots in the word ‘refuge’ meaning ‘shelter…